"That has not been an option, and not something that we'll talk about," coach John Foxtold USA Today. "Right now, our main agenda is to get better and improve so we can be playing our best football in January."

Let's assume the Texans (12-2) wrap up the top seed (they own the tie-breaker with Denver based on their Week 5 win). That leaves the 11-3 Broncos in a struggle with the 10-4 New England Patriots for the No. 2 spot. If the teams wind up with identical records, the Patriots win the tie-breaker based on their 31-21 win over the Broncos in Week 5. All of this has Denver focused on the present.

"If we don't play our best against Cleveland this week, it will be all for naught," Fox said. "All our focus will be on the Cleveland Browns."

Relive every game this season online and on-demand with enhanced viewing features, including the "All-22" coaches film. Get NFL Game Rewind.

It was never a joy to watch the Indianapolis Colts sit Manning down the stretch. It rarely paid off in the playoffs and raised plenty of questions about the ethics of resting your stars in December.